PostDoctoral Research Fellowship

Gifford Lindsay A, Los Angeles CA

Investigators

Abstract

Intellectual Merit: To bridge the gap between the understanding of violent hotspots in Iraq, refugee experiences of that violence, and the refugees' decision to leave their country of origin temporarily or permanently, the fellow presents an in-depth study of the relationship between spatio-temporal patterns of violence in Iraq with refugee perceptions of and strategies toward violence and security risks. The project includes 1) the creation of a digital spatial map representing violent events in Baghdad, Iraq from 2003-2007 to model patterns of violence; and 2) intensive fieldwork in Damascus, Syria to gather ethnographic data on Iraqi refugee communities to overlay contextual, cultural, and personal information with the digital-cultural map. Broader Impacts: This research will increase the field's comprehension of forced migration, macro- and microscopic forces behind refugee movement patterns, and civilian experiences and perceptions of violence by integrating empirical knowledge of violent patterns with human understandings and reactions to that violence. Using this analysis, this research will assist in making recommendations on optimal uses of space and time for security and development work; provide security strategies to civilian, aid, and law enforcement communities; and predict patterns of violence. This project has wide-ranging, transformative potential to provide direct societal benefits through improved security and refugee support. Lastly, this project increases participation of underrepresented groups in the STEM fields through the addition of a non-white, non-Arab researcher in the field of Middle Eastern Studies, and via the Fellow's interactions with diverse groups in the Los Angeles area both with and outside the university.